


a duet for one

by orphan_account



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - Music, Attempted Murder, Boarding School, Drama, Horror, M/M, Musical Instruments, Musical References, Musicians, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Psychological Horror, Romance, Unrequited Love, its just the bonus thing that might be a TAD bit gorey but it really isnt that bad lmao, most of it is pretty light stuff, yeah the tags spoil it oh well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 19:10:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13060332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: mingyu loved wonwoo.mingyu would do anything for wonwoo.anything.





	1. the requiem

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rinnenotsubasa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinnenotsubasa/gifts).



**i.**

A single slip of the fingers (which remind him, Wonwoo hadn’t done since he was a mere seven years old) was all it took to send the Headmaster into a flying rage, a swift slap to the face dealt as soon as the key was touched. Of course, Wonwoo deserved it, hadn’t he? He was the best student at the academy. He had no rivals. Everyone loved him. There was absolutely no reason to why he would’ve missed a note. It was simply out of his own ability.

“This is the first time I have seen you _destroy_ a piece since the moment you arrived here. I expect better from you. The concert is in a few months, and you will be a disgrace if you ruin this for me. When I come back, you must play it again twenty more times. Never make that goddamn mistake again, are we clear?” The Headmaster’s voice rang through Wonwoo’s ears. Of course he understood. It was only logical. He would have to be punished for such a horrendous act.

Watching the Headmaster leave from the corner of his eye, the door slammed shut, leaving only the echoing sound of a few flute players in the courtyard, presumably practicing for the said concert. Angered with himself, Wonwoo slammed his fists on the keyboard, the sounds colliding together to create a grotesque cross of notes from the abused piano. Once the sounds had died down, Wonwoo shifted his focus up towards the ceiling, nothing in particular running through his mind. He had been at the prestigious school for almost ten years now, slowly climbing his way up to be the best student that the school had ever seen. He was a piano player, a skilled one, scouted in the empty concert halls, begging for the chance to play more. It was a blessing and a curse to be in the school, as it was guaranteed fame once he’d graduate, but there also followed the impending ruin that would follow him throughout his life. It was a tough life, but he appreciated it, nonetheless.

His classmates all adored him. Even first years, who had barely set foot on the campus knew of his talents, knew that the Headmaster had cherished him ever since he had laid eyes on the puny boy of only nine years.

In the midst of all this thinking, the door suddenly opened, a few minutes earlier than what Wonwoo had predicted. Instead of the Headmaster, a lanky teenage boy, around Wonwoo’s age came through the door, followed by the figure that Wonwoo had originally expected. The Headmaster would not look at him, but rather to the unfamiliar boy that awkwardly waved to Wonwoo, a small smile on his face.

“This is Kim Mingyu. He’s a new student here, but with exceptional talent much higher than students we usually accept here. I’d like you to play Handel’s Lascia Ch'io Pianga- demonstrate how a real student at my school plays.” Wonwoo locked eyes with the Headmaster for a brief second, the glare in their eyes a sign. Do not mess up.

Taking a small breath, Wonwoo immediately began, his fingers seeming to have a mind of its own. His heart and soul one with the piece. He had memorized it, like he had with all others, and it was practically impossible to mess the piece up now. Though, as Wonwoo focused more on the piece, it was quite odd that the Headmaster would ask him to play a classical music piece accompaniment. Besides, was he not here to show off his own skill?

As if his worries were answered by some divine being, Wonwoo was startled by the sudden singing of the new student. Almost messing up the measure he was on, Wonwoo continued to play, flustered by the unexpected turn of events. As he continued to listen to the boy’s voice, Wonwoo came to the conclusion that the other did indeed have a nice voice, a clear one, made for baritone songs rather than soprano, but could easily pull of a higher tone if needed. It was smooth, and Wonwoo could easily tell that the Headmaster was pleased with himself, that they could have the talent to pick out such good students. Rubbish. Like they had ever done anything other than lay around and order their students.

Thankfully, Wonwoo managed to finish the piece without any mistakes, flawlessly concluding the session. However, it seemed that the Headmaster was not pleased one bit, and slammed the door yet again, leaving Wonwoo with the mysterious boy that seemed a bit embarrassed by the prospects of his time at the school. For a while, there was an awkward silence, Wonwoo refusing to talk or even look at the boy (what was his name again, Mingyu?), while the other seemed to be too busy gazing at the flute players in all their stupid glory.

Lifting his head, Wonwoo was met with the gaze of the boy, and for once, Wonwoo didn’t look away.

“I’m afraid I haven’t properly introduced myself. I’m Jeon Wonwoo.” He coldly stated, eyes now more focused on the pencil he had started to twirl around in his fingers. “I’m assuming I’m older than you, yes?” His question was distant, like he didn’t even care whether the other addressed him with formalities or not.

“Oh… Yes. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Mingyu, but I think you already knew that.” Mingyu faintly smiled, and Wonwoo was almost reminded of his mother’s smile. Was that a weird thing to think?

After another _impeccable_ moment of silence, Wonwoo gathered up his books, closing the piano lid with such care, that others would think that the piano was his child. Covering it up with the satin cloth that the Headmaster had gifted him on his first day in the school, he opened the door. Right before he stepped out, he gestured towards the door, and Mingyu quietly followed from behind. It was a bit endearing, in its own way, but Wonwoo decided not to dwell too much on that thought.

. . .

“Hey, Wonwoo, who’s the new kid?” Junhui nudged his friend, pointing at Mingyu, who was surrounded by a number of students, the majority of them being girls that also specialized in chorus. _Evidently_ , Wonwoo thought, as Mingyu was a chorus kid anyways. Annoyed that he hadn’t replied and was continuing to stare blankly into his cup of water, Junhui jabbed the boy in the stomach, a yelp escaping Wonwoo’s lips.

“Fuck- Yeah, I know who he is. Kim Mingyu, chorus student. Now please, never do that again.” He muttered, rubbing at the spot where he had been brutally punched. Junhui didn’t really seem to actually need the information though, as he continued to spout nonsense while Wonwoo continued to stare at his half-eaten lunch.

Smiling, Junhui continued. “Look at him. He’s practically as popular as you now. I’d watch out if I were you. You never know, he could take your spot as Headmaster’s favourite pet-“ Wonwoo couldn’t listen anymore. It was preposterous to even propose an idea that the dim-witted kid could beat Wonwoo’s popularity. Wonwoo practically had control over the whole school. There was absolutely no way he would take his place. Grabbing Junhui’s collar, he pulled the elder closer to him.

“Don’t even try me, Wen Junhui.” Wonwoo calmly let go of the other’s shirt, the Chinese boy snickering as he straightened his collar, and turned his attention yet again to the crowd of students that were furiously questioning Kim Mingyu.

“Brat. Seems like you’re even touchier about the subject than before. How do you even have friends?” Junhui continued to laugh, picking up his tray and throwing it out. Wonwoo scowled, and followed pace, eventually leaving the canteen behind for the shared dorms. What Wonwoo didn’t catch though was Mingyu’s eyes that seemed to follow him even after he had left the room.

**ii.**

“Useless scum. I can’t believe this. I’ve trained you since you were a little boy, and this is how you repay me? You should be fucking thankful that you’re even in this school. Without me you’re nothing. Do you understand?” A sharp noise is heard, the cursed ruler slamming into the back of Wonwoo’s head. This had been happening for a while. Wonwoo was certain that this all just a phase, as things liked this happened when he had first arrived at the school. He had already learned to love and cherish the blood and bandages that follow with each lesson. But still, Wonwoo didn’t understand _why_ this was happening.

He shouldn’t have been messing up like that. He was the best student and piano player in the school. There was no reason to why he was suddenly forgetting pieces, messing up notes, and not spending enough time to study anymore.

“That’s the end of the session.” The Headmaster finally sighed, not even taking a second to cast a glance at Wonwoo, scoffing when he slowly stood up from his piano bench. “If I hear one more mistake, I will not hesitate to make your life miserable, Jeon Wonwoo.” They snapped, leaving the room with a chilling glare that Wonwoo couldn’t help but feel a shiver up his spine.

After moments of uninspired practicing, Wonwoo decided it was time to leave. Like always, he packed up his bags, and headed out the door. As he left the room, he wasn’t surprised to find Mingyu waiting near the classroom door, nervously following from behind. Mingyu had waited for him almost every day since he had arrived to the school. Wonwoo didn’t understand why he’d want to wait for him, but that was just how it was. Most of the time Wonwoo allowed Mingyu to babble next to him, not paying any close attention to what the younger seemed to say.

This time, Mingyu seems to go on and on about the beauty of the school’s courtyard during the fall, delighted by the sight of falling leaves of different colours, all red, orange, or yellow in hue. Wonwoo stole a quick glance at Mingyu, a bit curious to see if the other actually meant what he said. Surprised that the other was so focused on what he was saying that he paid no attention to the intemperate looks that were directed towards him, Wonwoo embarrassingly looked back at the floor beneath him.

“I never imagined that autumn here would be so pretty. In Anyang, I didn’t seem much of the trees. It was mostly high-rise buildings with the occasional shrub or two. To think that I could see something like this near the heart of Seoul.” Mingyu breathed out, hands tightly clamped around his backpack, dragging it along the floor tiles. “You really suit this type of weather, Wonwoo. It reminds me a lot of you.” He whispered the last part, head dropping slightly at the comment.

Wonwoo stopped for a brief moment, but it went unnoticed, as he ventured along, untouched by the small notions.

As they walked, groups of students pass by the duo, taking a moment to look at the two handsome boys before turning to their friends and whispering comments on their hairstyle, or envious desires on how they wished they were as cool as them. Wonwoo was, of course, pleased with this, but a single whisper suddenly put him off. Were they… dating? Was that really the question that the first-year girl had giggled to her other friends? It annoyed him, how stupid and gullible the newer students were. Disgusting.

After Mingyu got pulled away by a crowd of adoring fans, Wonwoo slammed his tray of food down in front of a seat next to Seungcheol and Hansol. Junhui seemed to be out at that moment, but Wonwoo honestly couldn’t care less. The two were (sadly) arguing about what instrument was better, the two examples being (not surprisingly) the flute and piccolo. Even though Seungcheol was from the performance part of the school (but specialized himself in hard rock with his electric guitar) and Hansol, a chorus student along with Mingyu, they both had quite a lot to say about the two instruments.

“Hansol, you cannot keep using ‘they sound annoying and therefore are cooler’ as an argument to why the piccolo is better than the flute. They’re practically the same thing.” Seungcheol muttered, head in palms. Wonwoo rolled his eyes, quickly digging into the piles of food in front of him. It was like them to start small, meaningless arguments like this every day. The two were roommates, and had lots to say about each other.

As Hansol was about to retort, the speakers in the canteen were turned on, a loud static noise filling the hall, causing people to cover their ears in annoyance. Even if the academy was ‘prestigious’ and one of the ‘best music schools in the world’, it seemed as if they still couldn’t afford the time or effort to replace the old speakers in the room. Rolling his eyes again, Wonwoo tuned out the sound of the school’s secretary, still eating. It was only when Seungcheol nudged him in the ribs multiple times that Wonwoo finally decided to pay attention.

“Hello students! Isn’t it a lovely day today? I’m sure everyone is either practicing or eating right now, so I’ll try to make this snappy. As everyone knows, our Annual Winter Concert is approaching soon, and the spot for the center is still open.” At this comment, a few heads turned towards Wonwoo, as he had been center for the past nine years, but he didn’t acknowledge this. “We know how stressful it is to prepare for the concert, so we’ve decided to hold a formal dance, a ball of sorts, between today and the date of the concert so you may be able to relax! The time of the dance is exactly a month from now, so be on the lookout for more details. Thank you for listening, and remember to practice diligently!” Soon, the speakers cut out, and a commotion was spread across the room. A few people turned to their friends excitedly, while others coughed awkwardly and shrugged.

The information is stored in the back of Wonwoo’s mind for now, but he makes no sign of actually listening to the announcement. Seungcheol doesn’t seem to really care anymore, and goes back to lecturing a bored Hansol. Wonwoo finished the rest of his lunch swiftly, and exited the canteen. He preferred to leave early, as there was practically no one in the halls for him to look at and more time to practice. (There always seems to be some sort of catch though.)

Heavy footsteps sounded on the tiles, and slowly came to a stop. Wonwoo felt a gust of wind pass by him. Of course, Mingyu was standing next to him, breathless and face flushed.

“Hey! Did you hear the announcements?” Of course Wonwoo did, dumbass. He isn’t deaf. “That’s pretty neat. I’ve never actually been to a formal dance before. As a kid, my mom tried to teach me a bit of ballroom dancing, but I’m a bit rusty at it. She always told me her dream as a kid was to become a professional dancer, but she never told my dad. It’s weird, the more I think about it, the more I want to become a dancer too.” He sweetly smiled at Wonwoo, and suddenly Wonwoo felt like throwing up. “I… Uh…” Mingyu slowly continued, seeming to be lost for words.

“Just spit it out.” Wonwoo grimly muttered, almost quickening his pace, tired of the boy trying desperately to interact with him.

“Would you like to go with me? To the dance? I mean, it could be as friends, or even a date, if you’d really like to. I-I’m sorry- I shouldn’t have asked.” Mingyu let out, immediately regretting everything. Upon hearing the question, Wonwoo stopped in his tracks.

Why was he even considering going with the boy? Mingyu had done nothing for Wonwoo except for ruin his relationship with the Headmaster, spread rumours, and take away his overall popularity in the school. Wonwoo had worked hard for this position. The bruises and scars that littered his hands, arms, legs and face proved this fact. Mingyu knew nothing of the hardships that he had faced. In comparison to Wonwoo, Mingyu was a gullible little lamb, like the rest of the first years. Wonwoo hated the boy’s guts for it. Mingyu didn’t even deserve to be talking to him. He had done nothing to be worthy of it, yet he still had the gall to walk by his side everyday whenever he had the chance. Wonwoo wanted to wring the boy’s neck together. He was disgusted.

Yet, there was a small inkling of affection towards the boy that seemed to sway Wonwoo another way. Perhaps he was wrong, in a way, to be impolite and downright rude to him. After all, he was not center yet. In fact, no one was. Wonwoo was certain he would get the center spot anyways, so there was no worrying about that. 

As Mingyu was about to walk off in shame, Wonwoo grabbed his arm, automatically retracting his hand as Mingyu’s head snapped back towards him, eyes seeming to be on the verge of tears.

“I’ll go.” Wonwoo said breathlessly, trying his best to avoid any eye contact with Mingyu. Ecstatic, Mingyu’s face flushed an even deeper shade of red, and quietly muttered his thanks and ran off. Wonwoo couldn’t help but smile at that, and walked the rest of the way back to his dorm untroubled for once.

**iii.**

“You look... Different. For a change.” Junhui sized Wonwoo up and down, making a few lewd comments here and there before snorting to himself. “I almost didn’t recognize you without the deep eye-bags and drug dealer smirk. Maybe this Mingyu guy is really what Chan calls ‘a miracleman’. I need some of that.” Wonwoo was dressed up for once, looking even better than how he usually looked during concerts and when he wore his uniform, as he had let Junhui do his hair. Wearing a suit that had been passed down from his late father, Wonwoo didn’t think anything of it. He despised his parents, so it felt like more of a punishment than any type of enjoyment.

“Please shut up for once.” Wonwoo rolled his eyes, removing the hand that was placed on his shoulder. “Have fun with your date, and my God, don’t bother me.” Junhui shrugged, and opened the door to the hallway. “See you.” Wonwoo called out, walking the other way to where Mingyu’s dorm room was. It was only a few doors down, so it wasn’t a surprise that Mingyu soon came tumbling out, a cheerful smile stuck to his lips.

Widening his eyes, Mingyu stopped in his tracks, trying to take in what he was seeing. “Wow.” He said in awe, a blush coming to his cheeks for the nth time. “You look… Amazing? I sound so cheesy, I’m sorry.” He shook his head, walking towards Wonwoo to offer his arm out. Wonwoo took it, and slowly nodded in a dazed agreement. He had to admit, Mingyu also looked quite nice, sporting a dark velvet suit in contrast to his own vintage and rundown suit. Of course, he would never say that aloud though.

They walked down the hallway alone, both of them being a bit late to the event that was being held in the school’s event hall. When they arrived, Mingyu pushed the doors open, a few stares coming their way, then leading to most of the room. It was only natural. Same-sex couples were rare in the school, and it **seemed** that the rumours that the most popular boy and the star student boy were dating. Mingyu looked embarrassed, while Wonwoo couldn’t care less about the attention. Soon enough, everyone was dancing, and Wonwoo could feel the blood rushing to his face. Was this what happiness actually felt like?

“You know, on the first day I met you, I thought you looked so beautiful.” Mingyu mused, eyes closed. Hearing how Wonwoo kept silent, he continued. “A few days after I asked you to go to the dance, a whole hoard of these second year girls came to ask me out. How crazy is that? There was this other cute boy too, but I rejected them all. I never expected to become so popular here.” They followed the music’s rhythm enjoying the moment. It was true, what the secretary had said. The dance was a peaceful moment that they could savour before the impending stress of the school’s concert would finally destroy them all.

After a moment of consideration, Wonwoo looked directly at Mingyu. “Thank you, Mingyu.” He whispered, unable to say anymore. This seemed to satisfy the younger though, as his whole face beamed.

“No problem.” He sighed, leaning in to capture Wonwoo’s lips. A few audible gasps came from the people close to them, as this type of affection was never usually displayed in the school (despite the multiple lovebirds that stood in forgotten corridors.) From these gasps, more people turned to look, following suit. Wonwoo didn’t seem to mind, and didn’t protest against it. Though he didn’t want to admit, he enjoyed this. No one had ever payed attention to him as a child. **_It felt nice to be loved for once_**.

**iv.**

Wonwoo sat alone, fingers unconsciously tapping out a tune onto the seat of his chair. More and more students filed through the doors to the auditorium, eventually filling up all the seats. Once everyone was seated, the stage lights were turned on, and blinding light was shone onto the Headmaster who was now on the center of the stage. They smiled brightly (only the select few knowing this façade), waving their hands as the students clapped and cheered.

As the applause died down and the Headmaster began to talk, a few students here and there started to whisper. Obviously, the whispers were rumours. There was no way to avoid the wave of gossip that followed with every important announcement. After all, this was **the** announcement. The one that chose the center. Wonwoo didn’t expect it to be anyone else. It was him. He had always been center. There was no competition for the spot and everyone in the school knew this. Pleased, a few more comments were made, stares fixated on his back.

At the moment that the Headmaster had deemed the right moment to reveal the center, a whisper from a small boy seated behind Wonwoo had made its way into Wonwoo’s head, disrupting his train of thought. Immediately, Wonwoo turned his head around, and grabbed the boy’s collar (as it was his natural reflex.) Seething, he managed to get out a single threat before hundreds of cheers sounded and people rushed to and from their seats. The commotion of the students was enough to pull Wonwoo into the stream, his legs moving without anything to tell them to.

As expected, Wonwoo thought it was obviously him. This was not the case. Forcing himself to stand in the back off the room, more and more students crowded over the single, flustered student who shook his head and rubbed at the back of his neck with such modesty that it made Wonwoo want to stab his eyes out with a butter knife. Of course it was Mingyu. It just had to be. Wonwoo was oblivious to the signs during the beginning, but had tried his best not to pay attention. Was this fair? Wonwoo had shed millions of tears and had added scars to his body daily just to be able to showcase his talents to the world. And this was what he received in the end?

A girl that seemed to be the age of 14 had now came up to congratulate Wonwoo, holding a small bouquet (in contrast to the large one that Mingyu received) and handed it to him. He had been chosen as the second center, a position that no one cared about and paled when compared to the vast solos and pieces that the main center got to perform. Now that he thought about it, Wonwoo didn’t even know who the second center was for the past few years he had attended the school (later, Junhui would punch Wonwoo in the arm and shout at him for not remembering it was him, but he was probably lying.)

The girl swiftly went away, leaving Wonwoo back to himself, yet again. Sighing, he opened up the main doors that led out of the auditorium and into the hallways. Before leaving, he stole a glance towards the ever-growing crowd of students, and saw Mingyu in the middle. For a second, they made eye contact, Mingyu smiling sheepishly, almost as if he wanted to apologize. Wonwoo swore this was a mere trick of the mind, and simply left.

**v.**

There was only a week before the dreaded concert. Wonwoo could only think about practicing, and had no time to dabble in meaningless conversations with distanced friends. Junhui told Chan and Seungkwan that it happened every year whenever the concert occured, and that Wonwoo would be ‘back to normal’ in no time. But everyone could tell this year is a bit strange. It had been, after all, since Mingyu had arrived in the school. Now rumours of their relationship were lost in the school’s hallways, as no one had time for such trivial talk anymore. No one doubted this though; Wonwoo hated Mingyu. It was plain obvious, any fool could tell as much.

It was embarrassing to see Mingyu try to rekindle their relationship (if there was even one to start with.) In between classes, he would always try to walk next to him, softly pleading with Wonwoo to just look at him _once_ , and that was all he needed. Wonwoo refused to, and never acknowledged that there was anyone standing next to him. This continued for days and weeks, most of the students that witnessed the sad series of events taking the information to their friends, the slow stream of gossip spreading around the school that even the school officials knew this. As soon as it reached the Headmaster, more chaos ensued.

During private classes which seemed to grow more and more infrequent, the Headmaster would scream and destroy Wonwoo’s music, shouting so much that students could hear from rooms next door even after all the sound padding was installed. Clenching both teeth and fists, Wonwoo stared at the wooden floor that was splattered with droplets of his own blood, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. Was any of this fair? No one truly understood his situation. The risks and sacrifices he had made to get this position. All for it to be destroyed by his own foolishness and carelessness.

Soon enough, Wonwoo heard the familiar click of the door, and hurried to pack up his things, this time shoving his kit of piano tuning tools to use in preparation for the concert. Coming out of the door, he wasn’t surprised to find Mingyu waiting outside, trailing behind him. Walking into an empty, unused corridor in attempts to ward Mingyu off, it didn’t seem to work, as they were yet again all alone, with Mingyu now coming up from behind to grab Wonwoo’s wrists. Tugging his hand away, Wonwoo had to fight back the urge to slap him.

“Please, Wonwoo. Just hear me out. I never wanted to be chosen as center. You think I wanted this? I never asked to be popular too. I would give up all these titles if it were to make you happy, I really would. Don’t you know how difficult it is to be constantly watched by all your peers?” Wonwoo did. “I’m so sorry. I wish I could do something. I really do.” Rolling his eyes, Wonwoo clutched his bag and turned to leave, before shaking his head and turned back around.

“I don’t get you. You come here and tell me you’re sorry but make a piteous excuse as to why you must stay in your position? Do you really think you’ll win my trust that way? You’re a disgrace. I don’t know why I even let you talk to me. You digust me.”

As they were close to the same height, it was easy for Wonwoo to grab a hold of Mingyu’s uniform collar. He brought them closer together, faces only millimeters away, and for the first time (and perhaps last), it wasn’t Mingyu who initiated things. Wonwoo could feel his stomach churn as their lips touched, and he grabbed onto Mingyu’s shirt a little bit tighter.

How long did they stay there for? It seemed like hours, and as Wonwoo looked outside the windows, it seemed that the sun was soon settings, and they had evidently missed dinner. Of course, this didn’t matter to him.

“Why?” Mingyu finally gets out, breathing heavily. It seems like it has started to rain, the droplets of rain hitting against the windows. If they stalled any sooner, they’d be late to curfew and could receive dire punishments. So, Wonwoo decided he had no time to answer the rhetorical question. Sure, it seemed like an unromantic thing to do right after what had just happened, but that was just Wonwoo. He didn’t have the time for this.

“I don’t… I don’t know.” Wonwoo seemed to reconsider with a last thought, before walking down the corridor and back to the dorms.

**vi.**

Wonwoo had shortly fallen asleep with his heart heavy in his chest. Recklessly, he had thrown his music bag along with his case of his tools on the ground, a mess of papers and books streaming out. The window that was at the foot of the bed was still open from that morning, but Wonwoo was too tired to care about it. With all the lights shut off and Junhui gone for the week, Wonwoo could finally sleep peacefully without the risk of being woken up unexpectedly from the Chinese idiot.

Suddenly, Wonwoo awoke. It was the middle of the night (a short check of his clock told him so), and it seemed peculiar that Wonwoo would wake up at such a time. He knew himself to be a deep sleeper, so there was no reason for him to do this. It was almost 5 AM, and it was no use to fall back asleep now. Feeling around his bed to get up, a certain spot at the foot of his bed and the right corners of his pillow seemed to be wet. Wonwoo shrugged in the darkness. He had left the windows open, of course. How foolish of him to let the rain from the night seep into his sheets. Throwing the rest of the blankets and pillow case into a laundry shoot, he made way for the bathroom, content on getting ready for the last day before the concert.

Stumbling over his tools and books, Wonwoo made a mental note to clean those up when the sun arose again. The tools seemed to be wet too, as Wonwoo thanked God that his books had managed to stay clean throughout the ordeal.

Closing the door behind him, Wonwoo felt a sense of clarity. What was happening to him? Feeling nauseous, Wonwoo took a seat. It felt like millions of emotions were bubbling inside of him, and he couldn’t pinpoint an exact reason why. As if on command, Wonwoo started to laugh. Not a chuckle or snicker, but a full, hearty laugh. This was the first time he had laughed this hard in decades.

After more awkward laughing and touching up, it was time to leave. With the school bells ringing, it was perfect timing to go to the canteen and grab some breakfast before leaving to practice his piano skills for the next 8 hours.

Walking down the courtyard (as it separated the canteen from the actual school building), a large group of students were crowded around the courtyard’s main fountain, where the school’s secretary seemed to be making some sort of announcement. Spotting Junhui, Wonwoo made his way up the crowd to stand next to him, glaring as Junhui pointed out his messy hair.

“-concerning the concert that is to take place tomorrow afternoon, the Headmaster would like to let all students know that Kim Mingyu of Third Year Chorus will no longer be center. As he is no longer a use to this academy and serves no further purpose, Mingyu has been expelled from the academy, and will not be taking classes here any longer. On short notice, the new center is Jeon Wonwoo, and second center will now be Wen Junhui. Thank you for your attention, everyone is dismissed.” Collective gasps and frantic murmurs came from all directions, most of the students casting questioning glances at Wonwoo and Junhui before going to their friends to discuss how the most popular student and past-teacher’s pet, Kim Mingyu, had been expelled.

This was all a shock to Wonwoo. He hadn’t expected this, it seemed no one had. Even Junhui, someone who never showed their true emotions, seemed to be in a daze as well. But Wonwoo was never one to dwell on specific details, was he? Pushing through the crowds, he gave one last glance at Junhui, before complimenting him, “You know, you look quite nice today Junhui. You should wear the red uniform more often.”

**epilogus.**

At the prestigious Arts and Music Academy located near the center of Seoul, the founders of the school had built a small park, which was planned to help students relax more during stressful times. The park had soon been closed off after the death of the original founders, and most students in the present day had no idea it had existed. Usually, the secret was passed down from headmaster to headmaster, the current one only keeping the secret among their closest coworkers and their prized student. The student was a monotone, bleak, young man, whose life was devoted only to the wonders of the piano. He didn’t care about the mysterious forest that led to the park, nor the many places where students could possibly go to hide away.

The school was to hold their annual concert. It was the spotlight of the whole year, students tearing each other apart physically and emotionally to get better positions for the concert. Said young man was the center, and he was quite happy about this, maybe too happy.

After the concert had ended, the man seemed to look panicked. He allowed himself to be congratulated by his fellow classmates who secretly frowned behind his back, and superintendents that praised his skills. Behind the confident mask that covered his emotions, he was anxious. Receiving flowers and trophies of all sorts, he rushed to his dorm, and stuffed them all under his bed.

Fiddling with the ends of his suit, he made his way into the forest behind the school dorms, constantly looking behind him as to see if anyone was following him. Finally, after a few minutes, he had arrived in the park. It was almost midnight, but holding a flashlight, he could clearly see a small clearing of shrubs that could probably hide a jar or two behind it. Feeling around the area, his hands finally grabbed onto a small mason jar.

The jar was full of bloody teeth, clumps of blood, saliva, and finally, half of a cut up tongue. It seemed to be fresh, as the blood had only partially dried throughout the day. Not daring to look at the contents, the man ran down the forest and back into his dorm, where thankfully, no one was.

Rushing to turn on the fire from his room’s fireplace, he lit a match, and tossed it into the stacks of wood inside. Not wasting anytime, he opened the jar’s lid and dumped everything into the fire, scrunching up his nose as the smell of burning flesh consumed the air. Eyes darting around the room, he spotted his piano instruments, also covered in the blood. Grabbing his stick mutes, he tossed them all into the fire, watching the metal hit the pieces of wood with a thud. He shrugged, if he buried them underneath the logs, no one could ever notice.

Sure that all the evidence was gone, he took a deep breath.

The young man was happy.

Jeon Wonwoo was happy.


	2. the praeter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a kinda indepth little bonus practice that goes into detail about the night before wonwoo is selected as center!!

It was a late into the night. Wonwoo felt as if he wasn’t in his own body, like he was stuck in the middle of his own conscious and eternal limbo. With a few small steps, Wonwoo opened the door to his bedroom, making sure to close it so that it would not make a single sound. Carrying the small flashlight that was hidden at the bottom of his pillow on most days, he continued down the boy’s dormitory to find the door that he had thought about entering so many times in his current year at the school. The door that tormented him, the door that seemed to seethe and loathe Wonwoo with a certain kind of madness that almost was portrayed as affection. It could fool anyone. Just, not Wonwoo.

Using the key that the Headmaster had given him as a gift of trust at his sixth year in the school, Wonwoo carefully unlocked the door, jabbing the key into the keyhole. It eventually opened, and Wonwoo switched off his flashlight just to make sure to make as little ruckus as possible. Next to the door he had set down his kit of piano tuning tools, and picked it up again and entered the room. The room was like every other dorm bedroom, normal in size, with a perfect-fitting bed and the other necessities needed for any boarding school student.

In the bed that was placed on the right side of the room slept Kim Mingyu, Third Year Chorus student and newest shining star of the Academy. Even in his sleep he still managed to look like a blooming rose on top of a plate of thorns. That is to say, he was a sort of cursed beauty. Wonwoo stared at his perfect face with contempt, angered at the existence of the boy.

Consumed by the flames of his own scorn and rage, Wonwoo threw his kit onto the floor, savagely opening the contents onto the carpet. This startled Mingyu, as he was suddenly awake, head thrown back and eyes struggling to see what was causing such a commotion in the middle of the night. Sitting up in his bed, he rubbed at his eyes, finally making out the shape of a crazed Wonwoo on the floor, frantically picking at the instruments that were safely stored in the chest.

“Wonwoo! What are you doing here? I thought I locked the door. I-I’m quite surprised, it’s so early, I-“ Mingyu paused midsentence, seeming to be lost in thought. After all, it was peculiar for any student to be in his room at this time. But it didn’t matter, it was only Wonwoo.

“It’s alright. I’m not going to tell anyone you’re here. But could you please tell me what you’re doing? It’s all a bit confu-“ Mid-syllable, Wonwoo arose from the floor, one hand clutching a stick mute, the other a tuning fork. Wonwoo lunged at Mingyu’s neck, forcing the boy back onto the bed, a horrific coughing noise escaping his throat. Flecks of saliva flew at Wonwoo’s face, only angering him more. Raising the hand that held the stick mute, Wonwoo drove it straight into Mingyu’s right palm. A muffled scream came from Mingyu, only to be silenced by Wonwoo covering up his mouth.

“You little piece of shit, you’re worthless to me. You’ve destroyed my whole career here at this school, you’re the reason why I’m in this fucking hell hole. If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve been fine. You and your fucking plan to get the Headmaster to like you more and detest me, it was all planned out since the start, wasn’t it? You fucking bastard, I wish you would just die. Obviously I can’t do that, I don’t want to get kicked out of this school, but you know what I can do? Take away the thing that’s most precious to you. I don’t know how I’m going to do this, but we’ll find out as we go. So let’s continue, shall we?” Wonwoo seemed to be in a trance. Mingyu knew this wasn’t _his_ Wonwoo. Why would it be? He loved Wonwoo.

Before Mingyu could say anything back, even a small plea, the hand uncovering his mouth was gone, but was replaced by the stick mute and tuning stick being jabbed at his teeth and tongue, the mute ripping apart the flesh inside of his mouth and forcefully stabbing straight through his tongue. Blood was now rushing out of his mouth, as more and more teeth were forcefully knocked out, and his tongue finally severed off. Scratches and gashes littered Mingyu’s body and face, his nose broken.

“You disgust me, Kim Mingyu. I never loved you. You are a disgrace to everyone you’ve ever talked with. I hope you die.” Wonwoo muttered, finally getting off of Mingyu’s bed at calmly packing up the instruments into the case. Calmly, as if nothing had happened, Wonwoo exited the room and locked the door back up, being careful to wipe the handle of any fingerprints that might’ve been transferred.

Why hadn’t Mingyu fought back? That was a good question. Perhaps Mingyu loved Wonwoo too much. Perhaps Mingyu was too deep in love to see that without his tongue or any of his teeth, he would never be able to sing again. But only perhaps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hit me up on twitter @clubfnc, or just read and enjoy <3

**Author's Note:**

> [THIS FIC WAS REUPLOADED SINCE I TOTALLY DELETED THE ORIGINAL ONE BCUS OF THE GRAMMATICAL ERRORS LMAOOOO]
> 
> ok so I made my friend proofread this and she was like ‘o no poor mingyu!!!! who did that : ((((‘ and i realized,,,, o shit did i not make it obvious???? so i rewrote the epilogue like 6 times lmao pls kill me!!!!!! but yeah!!!! here’s my comeback story after a year away from svt! i miss the boys so much, and im so excited for their newest comeback (which the first leader project will be on my bday im so happy wtf) this is kinda like a gift but not rly since i don’t think theyd appreciate,,, reading,,,,,,,, this,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, BuT YEAH!!! anyways if you were confused:
> 
> Wonwoo had envied Mingyu since he had laid eyes on him. From years of studying his Headmaster, he knew when certain signs of affection would betray his face, and knew when they would appear. Knowing this, Wonwoo was certain that Mingyu would soon take his place. Though, not super certain about this, Wonwoo tried his hardest to appease the Headmaster. It seemed that this was actually his downfall, as more and more rumours and Wonwoo’s lack of focus seemed to drive Wonwoo to the point where he couldn’t do anything properly anymore. The Headmaster abused him relentlessly, and soon enough Mingyu was now the Headmaster’s favourite. Betrayed but not surprised, Wonwoo began to think of ways to rid Mingyu of this position, not actively thinking about this, and in fact, unknowingly plotting up a plan. A month before the concert, Wonwoo had planned out exactly what to do, using tips and secrets he had gathered from over the years. A few days before the concert, Wonwoo lured Mingyu into his trap, creating false senses of hope for Mingyu in their ‘relationship’, and eventually using his piano tools to cut off Mingyu’s tongue, knock out his teeth, and eventually collecting blood in the process. Mingyu, hopelessly in love with Wonwoo, let him do this all while he was conscious, enduring the pain as to let Wonwoo do anything as long as it made him happy. After all, if Wonwoo was happy, wasn’t he too? Going back to his dorm to fall asleep, Wonwoo forgot about the situation entirely, guessing that the wet bed sheets and pillow was rain water from the night. The next morning there is an announcement that Mingyu is not needed. Without his teeth or tongue, Mingyu cannot sing. His voice sounds scratchy and he looks terrible. He is worthless to the school. Now, midway into the concert, Wonwoo realized exactly what he had done. With no remorse but only regret for having left the evidence in plain sight, he rushes to finish his solo, eventually completing it without a hassle and sprinting back to the forest and dorm to burn everything. Once everything is rid of, Wonwoo laughs at himself for being so silly! How funny was Wonwoo, accidentally forgetting to dispose of the evidence! Finally, Wonwoo is happy, truly happy. 
> 
> yeah its depressing BUT I WANTED TO GET MY HAND IN THAT HORROR GENRE OKAY!!!!! please leave ur thoughts and comments i would love to know what you think!!!! (also if this reminds u of another fic pls tell me for some reason i keep thinking i read a fic like this before in the svt fandom and that makes me nervous bcus what if i,,,, stole someones idea)


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